'Rebels kill three Philippine soldiers'

Communist guerrillas have killed three soldiers and burned a telecoms facility in related attacks in the northern Philippines, the military said.

Communist guerrillas have killed three soldiers and burned a telecoms facility in related attacks in the northern Philippines, the military said on Friday.

The New People's Army (NPA) set fire to the site near the town of Pinukpuk on Wednesday and ambushed an infantry unit sent to investigate, said the soldiers' battalion commander, Lieutenant-Colonel Antonio Lastimado.

The ambush occurred on the same day near the town of Balbalan, in the Cordillera mountain range, he said in a written report. Three soldiers were killed and a fourth was wounded.

The 5,000-member NPA has been waging an armed campaign in the Philippines since 1969.